Web processing apparatus



April 18, 1967 s. H. DUFFIELD ETAL 3,314,351 I WEB PROCESSING APPARATUS v Filed Jan. 16, 1964 MOTOR STANLEY H. DUFF/ELD BY film/W 4% 42 M A T TORNE rs JOHN IV. 0 mvEwToRg United States Patent 3,314,351 WEB PROCESSING APPARATUS Stanley H. Dutlield and John N. Rice, Rochester, N.Y., assignors to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 338,032 4 Claims. (Cl. 9594) This invention relates generally to a photographic apparatus, and more specifically to an improved photographic Web processing apparatus.

Photographic web processing apparatus in which a web, coated with a processing solution, is brought into intimate contact with the exposed emulsion surface of a strip of photographic material for the necessary time to effect processing are well known in the art. An apparatus of this type is disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,848,931, R. A. Troidl, Aug. 26, 1958. In such apparatus, unless the web has a mono-bath processing solution applied thereto, a separate web is required to apply each of the developing and fixing solutions. A disadvantage of a web processing apparatus in which separate webs are used for each of the solutions is the increased space required to accom modate the developing, fixing and rinsing stations, each of which must necessarily have a supply roll of a web material, means for moving the Web into engagement with the exposed photographic material, and a web take-up mechanism. Applicants improved web processing apparatus eliminates this disadvantage by using a single web for applying the processing and rinsing solutions to the photographic material.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved web processing apparatus that eliminates the necessity of separate web materials for applying the processing and rinsing solutions to a photographic material.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved web processing apparatus that is extremely compact; requiring only a fraction of the space normally required by known types of web processing apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved web processing apparatus of simple design and construction, thoroughly reliable and efficient in operation, and economical to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved web processing apparatus having only one web for applying a plurality of processing and rinsing solutions to a photographic material for processing same.

Objects and advantages other than those set forth above will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a web processing apparatus constructed in accordance with one embodiment of this invention; and

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a modified embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a web processing apparatus according to the present invention is disclosed in FIG. 1 as comprising processing and rinsing stations designated generally by the numerals 4 and 6 respectively. The apparatus further has a supply roll 8 of web material 10 mounted on a supply reel 12. The web material 10 acts as a carrier for the processing and/or rinsing solutions, and when moved into wiping engagement with a film applies the solution thereto. The Web material 10 as it leaves the supply reel 12 is trained over an idler roller 14, under a rinse solution applicator 16, over another idler roller 18, under a processing solution applicator 20, and then over a processing shoe 22 and onto a web take-up reel 24. The processing shoe 22 may be heated if desired.

3,314,351 Patented Apr. 18, 1967 ice The rinse and processing solution applicators 16, 20, which are shown schematically, may be any suitable slit applicator or hopper, designed to continuously apply the the solution to web 10, although any other known type of solution applicator may be used such as a roller partially immersed in a solution and having its periphery in engagement with a surface of the web, or spray nozzles. Each of the applicators 16, 20 has a narrow longitudinal slit, not shown, that extends across the width of the web material 10 and across which the web is drawn. The solution may be fed to the applicators 16, 20 by gravity or pressure, and the applicators are normally provided with any well-known means such as shims, not shown, for varying the size of the slit therein, and any suitable metering means, not shown, such as valves for controlling the amount of solution fed to web 10. Since applicators of this general type are well-known in the art (see US. Patent 3,094,914, Smith, June 25, 1963), they are shown schematically, and not in detail.

A strip of an exposed photographic material 26 which is to be processed is fed from a supply reel 28 over processing shoe 22 with its base in engagement therewith and its emulsion surface in engagement with web 10. The strip 26 passes under a roller 30, over idler roller 18, and onto a suitable takeup reel 32. Any suitable transport means such as motors 34 drivingly connected to takeup reels 24, 32 through slip clutches 36 may be used for transporting strip 26 and web 10 from their respective supply reels 28, 12 to their respective take-up reels 32, 24. The strip 26 and web 10 are transported in opposite directions thereby facilitating agitation of the processing solution in contact with the strip. The web 10 is moved into pressure engagement with strip 26 at processing station 4 by any suitable means such as a pair of pressure rollers 38 urged by springs 40 against shoe 22. At the rinsing station 6, the normal tendency of the tensioned web 10 to follow the shortest path between the applicators 16, 20 urges web 10 into pressure engagement with strip 26 to effect rinsing. This pressure at the rinsing station may be varied if desired, by varying the tension applied to Web 10 by the take-up mechanism, or by introducing a back-up pressure roller or platen, not shown, for urging web 10 against roller 18. In the operation of this invention with reference to FIG. 1, the Web 10 and strip 26 are transported in opposite direction at predetermined speeds While the respective rinse and processing solution applicators 16, 20 feed solutions onto web 10. The web 10, saturated with a monobath processing solution, applies the processing solution to exposed strip 26 for processing the latent image therein to a visible image. The movement of web 10 in engagement with strip 26 and in the opposite direction thereto provides excellent agitation for the processing action. Since the processing solution is a monobath solution, the developing and fixing actions are accomplished simultaneously. As the processed strip 26 leaves processing shoe 22, it passes over roller 18 where it again engages web 10. The web 10 at this point is saturated with a rinsing solution fed to web 10 by rinse applicator 16 for rinsing the processing solution from strip 26. The processed and rinsed strip 26 is then taken up on take-up reel 32. Since the film prior to the processing stage is sensitive to light, the photographic apparatus should preferably be located in some suitable darkroom, or at least that portion of the apparatus comprising the supply reel and reach of the strip to the processing shoe should be in a compartment that substantially excludes the radiation to Which the strip is sensitive.

Since the processing solution is applied to web 10 in advance of the rinsing solution with respect to the direction of movement of the web, and hence is applied on 3 top of the rinsing solution on the web, the rinsing solu tion will dilute the processing solution. By properly adjusting the amount of rinsing solution applied to web 10, and the concentration and amount of the processing solution applied to web 10, the final concentration of the processing solution may be controlled.

In the modification of the web processing apparatus disclosed in FIG. 2, parts disclosed therein similar to parts shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same numerals primed. This embodiment differs from the described embodiment in the provision of an additional processing station 42. Since the processing solution utilized in the first embodiment was a rnonobath solution containing both the developing and fixing ingredients, only one processing station and processing solution applicator was required. In the modification disclosed in FIG. 2, the processing solution comprises separate developing and fixing solutions, and hence separate processing stations 4, 42 and applicators 20' are required, one station for developing the strip 26 to a visible image and the other for fixing the image. If desired, a rinsing station, not shown, may be positioned between the processing stations 4', 42.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove and as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In an apparatus for processing an exposed photographic film strip by moving the emulsion surface thereof in wiping engagement with a web carrying a processing solution on its surface, the combination comprising:

means for advancing said exposed film strip in one direction in succession through adjacent processing and rinsing stations;

means for advancing a web through said processing and rinsing stations in a direction opposite to that of the film;

means located between said processing station and said 4 rinsing station for applying a given amount of processing solution to said web;

means located in advance of said rinsing station with respect to the direction of movement of said web for applying a given amount of rinsing solution to the surface of said web; and

means for urging the surface of said web carrying said processing and rinsing solution into wiping contact with the emulsion surface of said film strip at said processing and rinsing stations to process and then rinse the same as it is moved along.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said processing and rinsing stations each comprise a support member, and said urging means comprises a spring biased pressure member at said processing station, and the natural tendency of the web under tension to assume a straight path at said rinsing station.

3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein said pressure member is a roller.

4. A method of processing a strip of photographic material by means of a web, comprising the steps of:

moving the strip in one direction,

simultaneously moving the web in the opposite direc tion,

bringing the strip and Web into wiping surface contact with each other at adjacent locations along their paths of movement,

applying rinsing solution to said Web at a point prior to the first of said locations for wiping said rinsing solution onto the strip at said first location, and applying processing solution to said web at a point prior to said second location for wiping said processing solution onto said strip at said second location.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1958 Troidl -94 3/1960 Tuttle 9589 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING AN EXPOSED PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM STRIP BY MOVING THE EMULSION SURFACE THEREOF IN WIPING ENGAGEMENT WITH A WEB CARRYING A PROCESSING SOLUTION ON ITS SURFACE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: MEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID EXPOSED FILM STRIP IN ONE DIRECTION IN SUCCESSION THROUGH ADJACENT PROCESSING AND RINSING STATIONS; MEANS FOR ADVANCING A WEB THROUGH SAID PROCESSING AND RINSING STATIONS IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THAT OF THE FILM; MEANS LOCATED BETWEEN SAID PROCESSING STATION AND SAID RINSING STATION FOR APPLYING A GIVEN AMOUNT OF PROCESSING SOLUTION TO SAID WEB; MEANS LOCATED IN ADVANCE OF SAID RINSING STATION WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID WEB FOR APPLYING A GIVEN AMOUNT OF RINSING SOLUTION TO THE SURFACE OF SAID WEB; AND MEANS FOR URGING THE SURFACE OF SAID WEB CARRYING SAID PROCESSING AND RINSING SOLUTION INTO WIPING CONTACT WITH THE EMULSION SURFACE OF SAID FILM STRIP AT SAID PROCESSING AND RINSING STATIONS TO PROCESS AND THEN RINSE THE SAME AS IT IS MOVED ALONG. 